Teachers, looking for a “year in review” type of activity that will keep your classes engaged? Ask students to pick one reading from the school year – short story, novel, play – and turn it into a board game. Students can create a “Candy Land” type of path with symbols, colors, playing pieces, etc. This would work for any hero’s journey or survival themed story, such as Lord of the Flies, “The Most Dangerous Game,” The Odyssey, The Great Gatsby, or even To Kill A Mockingbird. Students have to make specific choices from the works – what would molasses swamp be if this was about Gatsby? What would the candy castle be if this was “Most Dangerous Game”? What would the short cuts be if this was Lord of the Flies? Which cards are lucky, and which would send you back to the beginning? Other games to try are Chutes & Ladders, Jenga, Monopoly (good for several short stories, or a long work like The Odyssey). After they create them, groups can take turns playing each other’s games. Fun and creative, but meaningful and engaging too.
